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OLD NEWSPAPER: Portuguese Empire
Origins of the Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal finds its origins in the County of Portugal.
The County of Portugal was, at first, a geographic subdivision of the Kingdom of Asturias and León. Count Vímara Peres, a vassal of the king of the Kingdom of Asturias and León, conquered the northern region of Portugal in the 9th century during the Reconquest and created the County of Portugal, which was the vassal of the Kingdom of Asturias and León, later known as the Kingdom of León.
Territory conquered by count Vímara Peres
Count Henry continued the Reconquest in western Iberia and expanded his county's dominions. He also wanted the independence of the County of Portugal from the Kingdom of León. When Count Henry died in 1112, the population of the County of Portugal, including the powerful families, favored independence.
Finally, independence from León took place in three stages:
The first on 26 July 1139 when Alfonso Henriqueswas acclaimed King of Portugal internally.
The second was on 5 October of 1143, when Alfonso VII of León and Castile recognized Afonso Henriques as king and the County of Portugal independent through the Treaty of Zamora.
The third, on 1179, was the Papal Bull in which Portugal's independence was recognized by Pope Alexander III.
County of Portugal during the first half of the 12th century
Battle of Sâo Mamede
The Battle of São Mamede took place on 24 June, 1128 near Guimarães and is considered the seminal event for the foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal. Portuguese forces led by Alfonso Henriques defeated forces led by his mother Teresa of Portugal . Following São Mamede, the future king styled himself "Prince of Portugal". The one who won the battle would be called "King of Portugal" in 1139. Alfonso Henriques was proclaimed king of the new Kingdom of Portugal. After the Battle of Sâo Mamede the first capital of Portugal was Guimarâes from which the first king ruled. Later, when Portugal was already officially independent, he ruled from Coimbra.
Alfonso Henriques in the Battle of Sâo Mamede.
Voki: Alfonso Henriques
The Voki I have created represents Alfonso Henriques, the first king of the Kingdom of Portugal. He talks about his participation in the County of Portugal's independence and the part he played during the Portuguese Reconquest.
In 1135, Alfonso Henriques was able to capture the city of Leira and to expell the Moors on that part of the country. During the following years, the territory was unpopulated so in 1442, the King Alfonso Henriques gave Leira it´s first compilation of feudal rights to stimulate the repopulation of that territory.
In 1147, king Alfonso I of Portugal (Alfonso Henriques) took the territory around the city of Lisbon. The Portuguese Christians had taken almost half of the current Portugal.
When the Almohads invaded the Peninsula and conquered the Second Taifas, the Portuguese needed to stop their Reconquest as the Almohad Kingdom defeated them in the boundaries of their kingdom so they had to defend the conquered territory instead of advancing south.
After many years fighting against the Muslims, Alfonso I, weakened by his wound and by old age, delegated the chief command to his son Sancho.
Sancho I continued the war against the Muslims. In 1189, he gained the territory of the Algarve and Silves. But the Almohads reconquered those territories in 1193. He died in the year 1211.
The heir of the throne was Alfonso II which helped the Castilian army during the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. He was excommunicated by the Pope as he tried to fill the treasury at the expense of the Church.
Sancho II inherited the Kingdom of Portugal and continued the Portuguese Reconquest. Between 1239 and 1244 part of the Algarve and the Muslim city oif Elvas were taken. After a civil war against his brother Alfonso inside the Kingdom of Portugal, he retired to Toledo where he died in the year 1248.
Alfonso III (Sanchos II's brother) was chosen king. He finished the Portuguese Reconquest when he established Portuguese dominions in the Algarve. The Portuguese Reconquest was finished. The Kingdom of Portugal changed it's name to the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves.
The 1383-1385 Crisis
The 1383-85 Crisis was a time of civil war in Portuguese history when no crowned king reigned. It began when king Ferdinand I of Portugal died without any male heirs, and ended when king John I of Portugal was selected king after the Battle of Aljubarrota in the year 1385. When Ferdinand died, he only had a female descendant, Beatrice of Portugal. Several political factions lobbied for possible husbands, including French and English princes. Finally, the king settled for his wife's first choice, King John I of Castile. The wedding took place in the year 1383. The marriage was intended to put an end to hostilities by an union of the two crowns, this was not a widely accepted solution. This dynastic union meant that Portugal would lose independence to Castile.
Other important candidate was John I of Portugal, from the dynasty of the House of Aviz.
The Portuguese king was finally decided at the Battle of Aljubarrota in the year 1385, in which King John I of Portugal was selected king.
However, recognition from Castile would not arrive until 1411, after another Portuguese victory against the Crown of Castile in the Battle of Valverde, with the signing of the Treaty of Ayllón.
King John I of Portugal's proclamation
Affirmation of Portugal (The Battle of Aljubarrota)
The Battle of Aljubarrota was a confrontation between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile in the year 1385. Forces commanded by king John I of Portugal opposed the army of king John I of Castile and Leon. The result was a decisive victory for the Kingdom of Portugal, ruling out Castilian ambitions to the Portuguese throne ending the 1383-85 crisis and assuring John I of Portugal as king of the Portuguese Kingdom.
Portuguese independence was confirmed and a new dynasty, the House of Aviz, was established. Scattered border confrontations with Castilian troops would persist until the death of John I of Castile in 1390, but these posed no real threat to the new dynasty. It was the transition from the dynasty of House of Burgundy to the House of Aviz.
Battle of Aljubarrota
Domestic Policy and Foreign Policy
Domestic Policy:
To reform administration.
To encourage commerce and agriculture.
To secure the loyalty of the nobles by grants of land and privileges so extensive that, towards the end of King John I's reign, many nobles who exercised their full feudal rights had become almost independent princes.
Foreign Policy:
To establish a strong system of alliances through Europe.
Commerce and trade in the Kingdom of Portugal
After the 1383-1385 Crisis
The Cortes of Coimbra, the Battle of Aljubarrota and the Treaty of Windsor marked the three final stages in the consolidation of the monarchy. A period of expansion oversea began in the same reign, with the capture of Ceuta in Morocco. The three eldest sons of King John and Queen Philippa, Edward, Peter and Henry desired to win knighthood by service against the Moors, the historic enemies of their country and creed. In 1415 a Portuguese fleet, commanded by the king and the three princes, set sail for Ceuta. The town was captured and garrisoned, and thus the first Portuguese outpost was established on the mainland of Africa.
Prince Henry during the conquest of Ceuta
Political expansion
King John I of Portugal promoted political expansion, including maritime. This expansion began when his son, Prince Henry the Navigator conquered the city of Ceuta in 1415. This marked the beginning of the Portuguese Overseas, The Portuguese Empire, which was going to become the largest empire all around the world.
The First Portugese Empire
The First Portuguese Empire originated at the beginning of the Age of Discovery, initiated by Portugal, expanding across the globe. Portuguese sailors began exploring the coast of Africa and the Atlantic archipelagos in 1418-19, using recent developments in navigation, cartography and maritime technology such as the caravel, in order that they might find a sea route to the source of spices in Asia. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and in 1498, Vasco da Gama reached India. In 1500, either by an accidental landfall or by the crown's secret design, Pedro Álvares Cabral discovered Brazil on the South American coast. Over the following decades, Portuguese sailors continued to explore the coasts and islands of East Asia, establishing forts and factories as they went. By 1571, a string of naval outposts connected Lisbon to Nagasaki along the coasts of Africa, the Middle East, India, and South Asia. This commercial network, brought great wealth to Portuguese Empire.
Portuguese Expeditions
Prince Henry the Navigator organized several expeditions to discover and explore new territories in Africa. He never went sailing on those expeditions, he only financed them. Some of the most important discoveries financed by Prince Henry the Navigator were:
2. Bartolomeu Dias was convinced that he could reach the Spices Land in Asia by surrounding the African Coast. He got to the Cape of Good Hope but, although he didn't get to India he opened a new trading route to Asia.
Voki: Bartolomeu Dias
3. Vasco de Gama finally got to India by following Bartolomeu Dias' route, surrounding the coast of Africa.
The Iberian Union and the Second Portuguese Empire
The Iberian Union was an union of the Portuguese Kingdom and Spain for 60 years. King Philip II of Spain inherited the Portugal in the year 1580. Though the realms continued to be administered separately, the Council of Portugal ruled the country and its empire from Madrid. As the King of Spain was also King of Portugal, Portuguese colonies became the subject of attacks by three rival European powers hostile to Spain: the Dutch Republic, England and France. With its smaller population, Portugal was unable to effectively defend its overstretched network of trading posts, and the empire began a long and gradual decline. Eventually, significant losses to the Dutch in India and Asia during the 17th century brought an end to the Portuguese trade monopoly in the Indian Ocean. Brazil became the most valuable colony of the Second Portuguese Empire until, as part of the wave of independent movements that swept the Americas during the early 19th century, it broke away in 1822.
Iberian Union
The Portuguese Empire endured until the year 1910. It became one of the most important empires in the world, controlling territories over the five continents, and continued becoming prosperous although wars with other European countries and different crisis weakened it.
I have stopped explaining up to the Second Empire as the historical period we are nowadays studying is the Early Modern Age.
I have created two Vokis representing two important characters of the History of the Portuguese Empire. I have already embed these Vokis in the corresponding sections of my page.
Journalist: Good morning, Vasco de Gama. Thanks for coming. We're so grateful you're here with us now. I just wanted to ask you some questions about the voyage you have just done. Well, we think, that after so many years trying to get to the Spices Land, you finally have reached the aim of all those unsuccesfull expeditions. What do you think about this? Do you think all the merit is yours?
Vasco de Gama: Well, firstly, I personally think I have had a lot of help next to me, but I also agree that I have apported a very strong hope and help so that the expedition could be finished succesfully. As the expedition had four ships, one caravel and three rattles, leading the expedition was a bit difficult and in all moment I tried to lead them the best I could so I think that's a good point for me. Finally reaching to India is very grateful, as you think you have served your country as a really brave heroe.
Journalist: That sounds good. We can only thank you for what you've done. Another question we want to ask you is... Was the voyage difficult? Did you have any problem?
Vasco de Gama: Sincerely, it wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. First, as I continue the route other explorers already have doneand as I sailed in known waters, it wasn't difficult. When we reached Sherbro Island, I decided to sail sea inside as I was looking for the strong winds which couldd help us that came from the south-western Atlantic Ocean. But not everything went well. A strong storm shocked us, but all finally went well, and we succesfully reached the coast after sailing 6000 kilometres in open sea. Something which haven't been done until we did it.
Journalist: Well, but the important thing, it's that you have been successful in your trip. Did you have any other problems?
Vasco de Gama: I can remember a big course of storms in which we lost some of our men. It happened when we had already reached the eastern African coast. It was relly terrible. Another one, was when my crew refused to continue as they thought we were not going to reach the land we proposed to. I finally persuaded them to continue, thanks God they accepted, as I didn't want to give up so soon. We suffered other type of problems, but they weren't too important.
Journalist: All right. That's good. Did the native people of the territories you arrived help you? How were they?
Vasco de Gama: Yes, a lot. I think we wouldn't be here if the native people didn't help us. I'm very grateful to them. For example, when we got to the Mombasa Port, the natives gave us supplies which, maybe, sved our lifes, as they were starting to be scarce. When we got to the port of the city of Malindi, the natives also provided us with supplies and the sultan gave us a pilot which knew a lot of the Indian Ocean which helped us a lot.
Journalist: I'm a little surprised. Did everyone treat you well? Really?
Vasco de Gama: Well, if I tell you all the truth... We had a really bad problem when we got to a port in a city lead by a very ambicious sultan. He first looked very kind and nice, as he gave us supplies and a really good welcome to his city. He provided us with two pilots, who were very intelligent. What we didn´t kwnow was that those men wanted to sink and destroy the ships! At the last moment, we found it out and when they tried to do it, we had to kill the two pilots.After a course of misunderstandings we had to destroy the city. I still don't know why the sultan wanted us dead. Hope we are live now.
Journalist: God bless my soul! Just as well you're OK now. How your arrival to the Spices Land was?
Vasco de Gama: When we arrived to the Indian coast, we met two natives, which told us where we can see the local governor. When we finally located the governor, whose name was Samutiri Rajá, we didn't get to an specific agreement in the exchanging of products and trade because the low level of cultures and languages and the distrust of the governor. Finally, we got little quantities of jewels and spices in change of a big quantitie of money, to trust that we have reached the India, and to do more voyages to acquire larger quantities of spices and precious stones.
Journalist: You've done a great job. Can you tell me something about your return to Portugal? It is really incredible to overcome and complete this expedition...
Vasco de Gama: We crossed the Indian Ocean without any important trouble, in about... 23 days. the sea was calm and the wind was really helper. The problem came when we got to the Cape of Good Hope, as a half of the crew perished, including my brother, Paulo de Gama. Scurvy started to affect gravely to lots of people. It wasn't a really good voyage, but it worthed it as we were the first to reach the Spices Land in India, without having to cross the territories controlled by the Turks. Only 55 people of 148 have arrived, which sadden me. Only two boats of four have arrived, as the conditions of the voyage haven't been the best. Now we are save, and a new trading route to the Spices Land has been found, I think it is a large step for Portugal, and for the world's history.
Journalist: Thank you for answering all my questions. It has been a really interesting interview. Another time, I'm so grateful. Congratulations for your dangerous and mysterious voyage. Good morning.
Advertisement Presentation
I have created one advertisement, which tries to sell new sails for carabels, so that voyages could be faster and longer.
Link: Advertisement Presentation
Table of Contents
Code of Conduct
I promise to follow the following rules for my protection on the Internet.
This is my Code of Conduct:
than my parents.
uncomfortable.
OLD NEWSPAPER: Portuguese Empire
Origins of the Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal finds its origins in the County of Portugal.
The County of Portugal was, at first, a geographic subdivision of the Kingdom of Asturias and León. Count Vímara Peres, a vassal of the king of the Kingdom of Asturias and León, conquered the northern region of Portugal in the 9th century during the Reconquest and created the County of Portugal, which was the vassal of the Kingdom of Asturias and León, later known as the Kingdom of León.
Count Henry continued the Reconquest in western Iberia and expanded his county's dominions. He also wanted the independence of the County of Portugal from the Kingdom of León. When Count Henry died in 1112, the population of the County of Portugal, including the powerful families, favored independence.
Finally, independence from León took place in three stages:
Battle of Sâo Mamede
The Battle of São Mamede took place on 24 June, 1128 near Guimarães and is considered the seminal event for the foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal. Portuguese forces led by Alfonso Henriques defeated forces led by his mother Teresa of Portugal . Following São Mamede, the future king styled himself "Prince of Portugal". The one who won the battle would be called "King of Portugal" in 1139. Alfonso Henriques was proclaimed king of the new Kingdom of Portugal.
After the Battle of Sâo Mamede the first capital of Portugal was Guimarâes from which the first king ruled. Later, when Portugal was already officially independent, he ruled from Coimbra.
Voki: Alfonso Henriques
The Voki I have created represents Alfonso Henriques, the first king of the Kingdom of Portugal. He talks about his participation in the County of Portugal's independence and the part he played during the Portuguese Reconquest.
Link: Alfonso Henriques Voki
Reconquest of the Kingdom of Portugal
In 1135, Alfonso Henriques was able to capture the city of Leira and to expell the Moors on that part of the country. During the following years, the territory was unpopulated so in 1442, the King Alfonso Henriques gave Leira it´s first compilation of feudal rights to stimulate the repopulation of that territory.
In 1147, king Alfonso I of Portugal (Alfonso Henriques) took the territory around the city of Lisbon. The Portuguese Christians had taken almost half of the current Portugal.
When the Almohads invaded the Peninsula and conquered the Second Taifas, the Portuguese needed to stop their Reconquest as the Almohad Kingdom defeated them in the boundaries of their kingdom so they had to defend the conquered territory instead of advancing south.
After many years fighting against the Muslims, Alfonso I, weakened by his wound and by old age, delegated the chief command to his son Sancho.
Sancho I continued the war against the Muslims. In 1189, he gained the territory of the Algarve and Silves. But the Almohads reconquered those territories in 1193. He died in the year 1211.
The heir of the throne was Alfonso II which helped the Castilian army during the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. He was excommunicated by the Pope as he tried to fill the treasury at the expense of the Church.
Sancho II inherited the Kingdom of Portugal and continued the Portuguese Reconquest. Between 1239 and 1244 part of the Algarve and the Muslim city oif Elvas were taken. After a civil war against his brother Alfonso inside the Kingdom of Portugal, he retired to Toledo where he died in the year 1248.
Alfonso III (Sanchos II's brother) was chosen king. He finished the Portuguese Reconquest when he established Portuguese dominions in the Algarve. The Portuguese Reconquest was finished. The Kingdom of Portugal changed it's name to the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves.
The 1383-1385 Crisis
The 1383-85 Crisis was a time of civil war in Portuguese history when no crowned king reigned. It began when king Ferdinand I of Portugal died without any male heirs, and ended when king John I of Portugal was selected king after the Battle of Aljubarrota in the year 1385. When Ferdinand died, he only had a female descendant, Beatrice of Portugal. Several political factions lobbied for possible husbands, including French and English princes. Finally, the king settled for his wife's first choice, King John I of Castile. The wedding took place in the year 1383. The marriage was intended to put an end to hostilities by an union of the two crowns, this was not a widely accepted solution. This dynastic union meant that Portugal would lose independence to Castile.
Other important candidate was John I of Portugal, from the dynasty of the House of Aviz.
The Portuguese king was finally decided at the Battle of Aljubarrota in the year 1385, in which King John I of Portugal was selected king.
However, recognition from Castile would not arrive until 1411, after another Portuguese victory against the Crown of Castile in the Battle of Valverde, with the signing of the Treaty of Ayllón.
Affirmation of Portugal (The Battle of Aljubarrota)
The Battle of Aljubarrota was a confrontation between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile in the year 1385. Forces commanded by king John I of Portugal opposed the army of king John I of Castile and Leon. The result was a decisive victory for the Kingdom of Portugal, ruling out Castilian ambitions to the Portuguese throne ending the 1383-85 crisis and assuring John I of Portugal as king of the Portuguese Kingdom.
Portuguese independence was confirmed and a new dynasty, the House of Aviz, was established.
Scattered border confrontations with Castilian troops would persist until the death of John I of Castile in 1390, but these posed no real threat to the new dynasty. It was the transition from the dynasty of House of Burgundy to the House of Aviz.
Domestic Policy and Foreign Policy
Domestic Policy:
Foreign Policy:
After the 1383-1385 Crisis
The Cortes of Coimbra, the Battle of Aljubarrota and the Treaty of Windsor marked the three final stages in the consolidation of the monarchy. A period of expansion oversea began in the same reign, with the capture of Ceuta in Morocco. The three eldest sons of King John and Queen Philippa, Edward, Peter and Henry desired to win knighthood by service against the Moors, the historic enemies of their country and creed. In 1415 a Portuguese fleet, commanded by the king and the three princes, set sail for Ceuta. The town was captured and garrisoned, and thus the first Portuguese outpost was established on the mainland of Africa.
Political expansion
King John I of Portugal promoted political expansion, including maritime. This expansion began when his son, Prince Henry the Navigator conquered the city of Ceuta in 1415. This marked the beginning of the Portuguese Overseas, The Portuguese Empire, which was going to become the largest empire all around the world.
The First Portugese Empire
The First Portuguese Empire originated at the beginning of the Age of Discovery, initiated by Portugal, expanding across the globe. Portuguese sailors began exploring the coast of Africa and the Atlantic archipelagos in 1418-19, using recent developments in navigation, cartography and maritime technology such as the caravel, in order that they might find a sea route to the source of spices in Asia. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and in 1498, Vasco da Gama reached India. In 1500, either by an accidental landfall or by the crown's secret design, Pedro Álvares Cabral discovered Brazil on the South American coast. Over the following decades, Portuguese sailors continued to explore the coasts and islands of East Asia, establishing forts and factories as they went. By 1571, a string of naval outposts connected Lisbon to Nagasaki along the coasts of Africa, the Middle East, India, and South Asia. This commercial network, brought great wealth to Portuguese Empire.
Portuguese Expeditions
- Prince Henry the Navigator organized several expeditions to discover and explore new territories in Africa. He never went sailing on those expeditions, he only financed them. Some of the most important discoveries financed by Prince Henry the Navigator were:
- Madeira Islands (1418)- Azore Islands (1431)
- Cap Blanc (1441)
- Senegal (1445)
- Cape Verde Islands (1460)
2. Bartolomeu Dias was convinced that he could reach the Spices Land in Asia by surrounding the African Coast. He got to the Cape of Good Hope but, although he didn't get to India he opened a new trading route to Asia.
Voki: Bartolomeu Dias
3. Vasco de Gama finally got to India by following Bartolomeu Dias' route, surrounding the coast of Africa.
The Iberian Union and the Second Portuguese Empire
The Iberian Union was an union of the Portuguese Kingdom and Spain for 60 years. King Philip II of Spain inherited the Portugal in the year 1580.
Though the realms continued to be administered separately, the Council of Portugal ruled the country and its empire from Madrid. As the King of Spain was also King of Portugal, Portuguese colonies became the subject of attacks by three rival European powers hostile to Spain: the Dutch Republic, England and France. With its smaller population, Portugal was unable to effectively defend its overstretched network of trading posts, and the empire began a long and gradual decline. Eventually, significant losses to the Dutch in India and Asia during the 17th century brought an end to the Portuguese trade monopoly in the Indian Ocean. Brazil became the most valuable colony of the Second Portuguese Empire until, as part of the wave of independent movements that swept the Americas during the early 19th century, it broke away in 1822.
The Portuguese Empire endured until the year 1910. It became one of the most important empires in the world, controlling territories over the five continents, and continued becoming prosperous although wars with other European countries and different crisis weakened it.
I have stopped explaining up to the Second Empire as the historical period we are nowadays studying is the Early Modern Age.
Territorial expansion of the Kingdom of Portugal
Prezi Presentation
Link: Kingdom of Portugal Prezi
Voki presentations
I have created two Vokis representing two important characters of the History of the Portuguese Empire. I have already embed these Vokis in the corresponding sections of my page.
Link: Alfonso Henriques Voki
2. Bartolomeu Dias
Link: Bartolomeu Dias Voki
Interview: Vasco de Gama
Journalist: Good morning, Vasco de Gama. Thanks for coming. We're so grateful you're here with us now. I just wanted to ask you some questions about the voyage you have just done. Well, we think, that after so many years trying to get to the Spices Land, you finally have reached the aim of all those unsuccesfull expeditions. What do you think about this? Do you think all the merit is yours?
Vasco de Gama: Well, firstly, I personally think I have had a lot of help next to me, but I also agree that I have apported a very strong hope and help so that the expedition could be finished succesfully. As the expedition had four ships, one caravel and three rattles, leading the expedition was a bit difficult and in all moment I tried to lead them the best I could so I think that's a good point for me. Finally reaching to India is very grateful, as you think you have served your country as a really brave heroe.
Journalist: That sounds good. We can only thank you for what you've done. Another question we want to ask you is... Was the voyage difficult? Did you have any problem?
Vasco de Gama: Sincerely, it wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. First, as I continue the route other explorers already have doneand as I sailed in known waters, it wasn't difficult. When we reached Sherbro Island, I decided to sail sea inside as I was looking for the strong winds which couldd help us that came from the south-western Atlantic Ocean. But not everything went well. A strong storm shocked us, but all finally went well, and we succesfully reached the coast after sailing 6000 kilometres in open sea. Something which haven't been done until we did it.
Journalist: Well, but the important thing, it's that you have been successful in your trip. Did you have any other problems?
Vasco de Gama: I can remember a big course of storms in which we lost some of our men. It happened when we had already reached the eastern African coast. It was relly terrible. Another one, was when my crew refused to continue as they thought we were not going to reach the land we proposed to. I finally persuaded them to continue, thanks God they accepted, as I didn't want to give up so soon. We suffered other type of problems, but they weren't too important.
Journalist: All right. That's good. Did the native people of the territories you arrived help you? How were they?
Vasco de Gama: Yes, a lot. I think we wouldn't be here if the native people didn't help us. I'm very grateful to them. For example, when we got to the Mombasa Port, the natives gave us supplies which, maybe, sved our lifes, as they were starting to be scarce. When we got to the port of the city of Malindi, the natives also provided us with supplies and the sultan gave us a pilot which knew a lot of the Indian Ocean which helped us a lot.
Journalist: I'm a little surprised. Did everyone treat you well? Really?
Vasco de Gama: Well, if I tell you all the truth... We had a really bad problem when we got to a port in a city lead by a very ambicious sultan. He first looked very kind and nice, as he gave us supplies and a really good welcome to his city. He provided us with two pilots, who were very intelligent. What we didn´t kwnow was that those men wanted to sink and destroy the ships! At the last moment, we found it out and when they tried to do it, we had to kill the two pilots.After a course of misunderstandings we had to destroy the city. I still don't know why the sultan wanted us dead. Hope we are live now.
Journalist: God bless my soul! Just as well you're OK now. How your arrival to the Spices Land was?
Vasco de Gama: When we arrived to the Indian coast, we met two natives, which told us where we can see the local governor. When we finally located the governor, whose name was Samutiri Rajá, we didn't get to an specific agreement in the exchanging of products and trade because the low level of cultures and languages and the distrust of the governor. Finally, we got little quantities of jewels and spices in change of a big quantitie of money, to trust that we have reached the India, and to do more voyages to acquire larger quantities of spices and precious stones.
Journalist: You've done a great job. Can you tell me something about your return to Portugal? It is really incredible to overcome and complete this expedition...
Vasco de Gama: We crossed the Indian Ocean without any important trouble, in about... 23 days. the sea was calm and the wind was really helper. The problem came when we got to the Cape of Good Hope, as a half of the crew perished, including my brother, Paulo de Gama. Scurvy started to affect gravely to lots of people. It wasn't a really good voyage, but it worthed it as we were the first to reach the Spices Land in India, without having to cross the territories controlled by the Turks. Only 55 people of 148 have arrived, which sadden me. Only two boats of four have arrived, as the conditions of the voyage haven't been the best. Now we are save, and a new trading route to the Spices Land has been found, I think it is a large step for Portugal, and for the world's history.
Journalist: Thank you for answering all my questions. It has been a really interesting interview. Another time, I'm so grateful. Congratulations for your dangerous and mysterious voyage. Good morning.
Advertisement Presentation
I have created one advertisement, which tries to sell new sails for carabels, so that voyages could be faster and longer.
Link: Advertisement Presentation
Newspaper Article: Portuguese Times
Personal choice: Comic Presentation